Pressure fitting 1/32" wire to make a pin wheel.

Gallery, Projects and General > How do I??

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AdeV:
Beg, buy, borrow or steal a small chop saw; or one of those angle grinder stands that Lidl sold recently. Mark up your silver steel with each piece slightly over-long (to account for the width of the cutting disk, plus any excess you might want to leave stuck out after the pins are pressed home). Now simply use the chopsaw/grinder to cut each pin. Being only 1/32" dia, you shouldn't need to clamp it in place each time, just use finger pressure to hold the stock in place as you take off a pin. They shouldn't fly too far out of the saw, and you'll have all 60 cut before you know it. Make about 80, though, to cover the inevitable "oops, I dropped it" and/or "oops, the grinder threw it" losses.

I'm assuming when you said "shafered end" you meant "chamfered"? i.e. knocking the corners off one end to make it go in the hole easier? Personally, I'd run each one along some coarse emery cloth before I used it, with a slight rotating motion as if I were making a pointy stick. You could also use a bench grinder to the same effect, just watch you don't take too much off. Oh, and wear safety goggles - you can be sure the grinder will grab at least one & throw it at your face...

As for drill bits - I couldn't find a 0.5mm spotting drill, which I guess is why they suggest making one. A "spade type" looks a bit like a masonry drill, without the long flutes.

raynerd:
I do appreciate every response given to me - I`ve spent the last hour reading them in detail. A few replies to your suggestions and more advice or thoughts would be great. Please remember that I`m only replying based on what I have read not the practical experience of doing it!

AndyF - the method of tidying up the back is exactly how John Wilding describes in his plans. However, the thickness of the wheel is uniform and therefore if the pins could be accurately cut, using a back plate and pushing the pins in (with a jig) so they perfectly hit the same spot, I believe there is no need to clean up the back so I was trying to avoid this method. Gadgetbuilder on his website used a method where the pins are pushed through to hit a backstop and managed to have no need in cleaning up the back. This also meant is pins were a neat uniform length. I`m not saying this method isn`t valid, just reading gadgetbuilders method, I think it could be done better this way. However, I never even thought metric!! 0.75mm drill would be easily to find and be quite adiquate.

Stew - yes 1/32" is necessary because of the way the pins fall and catch on the gated detent. I expect that the plans could be written for 1/16" wire but I believe the mechanism of the inpulse pawl would need modifying to suit and it just isn`t worth it. I`ve managed to get some 1/32" silver steel from College Engineering supplies so I`m ok in this respect. You have much much more practical experience than me and so I take your word about the smaller drill cutting true. The only thing I would say is that there is at times very large pressures on the pins as it is a pawl hook on the pin wheel (pins) that bears the load of the 2" dia x 4" length steel weight!! for the impulse. I have to admit that both Wilding and Gadgetbuilder both have drilled under size and pressure fit pins in place. For the price of a small drill, it will be worth testing the 1/32" drill and a 0.0295 (.75mm) and seeing which holds best. If they can be pressure fit then I expect that may be the best way to go just purely because of the weight bearings on them. I know normally on a standard pin wheel there is likely only a mechanism to catch the pins, on this clock, there is weights bearing on the pins. Your thoughts would be much appreciated after reading this.... do you think 1/32" drill and locktite would still do the job OK? Also, do you have a link or a search word to find Marvs post - I can`t find any link??

PekkaN - can you really part off 1/32" steel? I expect I would end up bending the steel rather than cutting. Although I have an ER32 chuck ready to fit to the lathe it isn`t useable yet and despite that, is the smallest ER32 collet not 1.5mm ? I think my lathe wouldn`t be capable of this work. I think the idea you suggest for cleaning the ends up is a good one but maybe a bit OTT? I believe the only reason for the chamfer is to allow them to push into the undersize hole.

AdeV - yes, I`ve got a large disk chop saw but I expect too large for this job which is why I suggested a dremel. I think you make the best point about using a simple grinder to put a slight chamfer on the end.

DaveH - yes I was going to use a jig to push the pins in. I thought about small silver steel bar with a 1/32" hole half the length of the pin. This is not my idea, but then Gadgetbuilder used a magnet stuck on the side of the steel bar which meant that when the pin was placed into the hole, it stayed there. This was all done on a pillar drill and the wheel was on the bench with a steel block under it as a back plate. The pin was then forced down into a wheel hole and pinned. I just hope my holes will work out suitable enough to press fit the pins in otherwise it may be worth following Stews advice and drill the hole to size with a spot of loctite.

Thanks again...any more opinions would be helpful. I`m still none the wiser about this spotting drill. Would you spot drill or just drill direct with the small drill. I expect it will need some sort of spotting or it`ll wander.

Chris

sbwhart:
Her we go

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=414.msg2439#msg2439

Stew

HS93:
it's a bad link i'm afraid Stew. have you thought of a small diamond cuting wheel 25mm , I have Just got a proxon one from my local Axminster store in Warington.

peter

PekkaNF:

--- Quote from: craynerd on June 08, 2011, 08:20:00 AM ---PekkaN - can you really part off 1/32" steel? I expect I would end up bending the steel rather than cutting. Although I have an ER32 chuck ready to fit to the lathe it isn`t useable yet and despite that, is the smallest ER32 collet not 1.5mm ? I think my lathe wouldn`t be capable of this work. I think the idea you suggest for cleaning the ends up is a good one but maybe a bit OTT? I believe the only reason for the chamfer is to allow them to push into the undersize hole.
Chris
--- End quote ---

You are asking a lot and I haven't got that far. I wonder what clock makers would do?

However, I have cut under 2 mm rather routinely on different materials and that's easy. But it all works with part dimenssion. Harder to chuck, closer you need the adjust tool height (many times I'll notice that my centre pip is larger than work you are trying to part off) and you need to get really close to the chuck/collet or you need a steady. Here consideration starts to be: do you push the blade to the work or do you hold blade stationary and push rod to the work with a support. V-grove or something like this (without the blade):
http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Small-Diameter-Turning-Tool.html

I intended to try out 0,75 mm but I don't have anything of silver steel kind of material. After thinking over I'm not that confident that lathe is way to go.

I had some 1.56 mm dia tig welding rod, I believe it's stainless because that what is used at the work! It's surpricingly britle, but materials feel different on smaller dimenssions. It flatens a little if I use piano wire cutters to it. I admitt that is whole different ballgame to do half that diameter. I had to resort loupe to adjust parting off blade to correct height. And that is critical here. I cut clean on the first try - unfortunaterly the pin sheared at the chuck!

After getting centre height closer, It cut without drama. No pip on chuck side, huge one on severed part.

I used a MT1 arbor to catch parted off pin.

I used 0,7 mm wide blade, not the sharpest one and this lathe is really light weight piece of paper weight. On last picture there is 0.5 mm wide blade. There is no way that lot wider than that blade will do nice work.

PM me if you want to have a go. I'll send you two blades to toy with, if you break them, you'll sharpen them and feel the pain. I don't have a foggies idea where to buy them.

Camfering this small parts was long time a go a quick visit on corrosive material and then long ride on ....what is this rotating canister with abrassive and filler inside? Found it: Tumbler!

I hope you'll find better method.

You need some clearance with the glue, deformed end on that side is probably just good. There are very many different types of stud locks (glues). Look something for a small clearance and low viscosity.

Pekka
* learning English

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